{2015 Goal List}

While everyone else is busy making their New Years Resolutions I'm making goals. I realized a long time ago that my resolutions were just not getting kept. They were being swept off to the side around February and forgotten completely by April. Last year was the first year I had actually stuck to what I'd set for myself longer than just until spring. Of course, by summer vacation I'd lost all motivation but whatever. A little improvement is better than none right?

So this year, I'm going to set my goals again. Hopefully this time I'll be able to get further than June/July with it.

1. Get back in the gym!
And I don't just mean get back in the gym. I mean, get back and actually do the work. I've really let myself slip back into the slump of not working out and not eating right. I want to blame it all on the past month, but in reality, I stopped going to the gym regularly a long time ago. I also stopped counting my weight watchers points. One or the other wouldn't be bad, maybe I could have kept off those 16lbs I lost. But no. I had to do both. Because I'm lazy.

2. Rid myself of toxic people.
After the year I've had dealing with all the teenage drama I'm beyond ready to just get rid of anyone bringing anything but positive energy into my world. I don't want drama every other week. I don't want to worry about someone popping up and us having to spend our Disney World fund on getting them set up in our home. I don't want to fight with people who are not really an important part of my life, or my family's life. So good riddance toxic life suckers!

3. Build my wardrobe.
I am aware that this is slightly shallow. I'm OK with that lol. I have never been super interested in the fashion world. I love to watch Youtubers talk about their clothes and see the things they put together. But I've never ventured past my staple jeans and t-shirt ensemble. I've always wanted to be one of those girls to get asked where did you get that? when I'm out somewhere, but I've never been brave enough to buy things that might get that kind of reaction. So that's one of my lesser goals lol. Perhaps after I get back on track with my weight loss I'll be able to take this goal on :).

4. Build my blog.
I want to get more views for my blog and more likes on my facebook. I'm hoping that producing more content people want to read more frequently that it'll happen. I love to blog! I love writing about my kids and my life. But I'd love it even more if I knew people were reading it lol.

So there you have it folks. Four goals for my 2015. Are you making goals or resolutions this year? What are they? Comment below! :) Lets have a conversation!

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{The Sickness is Here}

As a mom I am constantly on the hunt for medicines that work that I don't have to fight my kids to take. Just so you're aware, in the 12yrs I've been a mom I haven't found one. Nothing ever tastes as good as the box makes it sound. And there are some flavors, bubble gum for example, that I just steer clear of right off the bat.

Why does that flavor never taste like bubble gum?!

So this past week when Owen started coughing his head off, I went to the cabinet in search of a remedy. We had nothing. #momfail I usually have a pretty good supply of cold meds having 3 kids and all. But the last time I cleaned out the cabinet out I had to get rid of a lot of it because it was expired.

So what does a mom do? She sends dad to get more ;). He came home with children's Mucinex and lemon Halls cough drops. I was not impressed lol. Neither was Owen. He fought me forever to take it. He could smell that it was going to be gross before he even got it in his mouth. Did it get the job though is what you're asking right now. Yes, it worked. It took his fever of 103 down in about 15min. But getting him to take it again after it came back, was harder than the first time. He already knew it was yucky.

That's about the time I saw a commercial for Dr. Cocoa. Honestly I thought it was just a marketing tactic. None of the other meds ever taste like their flavors. How could this possibly taste like delicious chocolate (said as though I'm Homer Simpson talking about doughnuts lol)? Owen saw it too though and said I should buy that for him. Not a mom to disappoint, I said I would.

I picked some up on sale for $8 at Walgreen's. I figured if it works, it's worth more than $8.

While walking around the store I read the box. Its dye free, alcohol free, and gluten free. I'm not one of those moms thats super concerned about things like that, but its nice when I find products like that.

The real test though was when I got home. Just opening the bottle, it smelled like chocolate! Like chocolate icing to be exact. I shook it up and poured in the cup that came with the Mucinex. It did come with its own spoon but I saw that being a mess should Owen decide it wasn't as awesome as the cute little owl on the commercial had said.

It poured out thick and literally looked like a melted Hershey bar in a cup!

Of course I had to taste it..and sure enough tastes like chocolate. Not quite as sweet but still as good!

Owen thought so too when he dipped his finger in and ended up drinking the whole cup with no problems.

As far as does it work? We got the cold and cough daytime version. There are 2 others, cough and then cold & cough night time. I haven't heard him cough once since giving it to him. Not one time. I'd say this med is a success! I'll be purchasing it from now on!

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{3wks After Losing Him}

For those that might be wondering I thought I'd give a little update on how we are doing since the passing of our beloved pawpaw.

Gaige has spent most of his Christmas break with my grandma. She's gonna have a real empty house when he leaves on the 4th to come home. But I think being close to where pawpaw was, has helped him quite a bit. He can feel him there I'm quite sure and its comforting to be around his things. He doesn't cry a lot anymore. Or at least not in front of me. He has always been that way though. Never wanted to upset anyone so he would pretend everything was OK. He often talks about him though. And I try to keep his memory alive by taking a walk down memory lane with him when he chooses. I know he misses him as much as the rest of us. He will get through this. Not over it. But through it.

I am still broken. There's really no other way to explain it. I miss him so much it hurts and I want so bad to wake up from this nightmare. But its not happening. I've stopped crying myself to sleep but I still wake up crying some mornings. At the risk of sounding a little off my rocker though I've had a couple dreams about him. One that was so calming. I don't know what he said to me but I was so at peace when I woke and I just thought "he's here. He's always here." And I went back to sleep. I know he watches us all. I have to believe that because I need him to still be in my world somehow. I am aware I might sound crazy. You lose a parent and see how sane you are 3wks later.

My nephew (7yrs and as close to him as Gaige was) is having a rough time with it. My sister said he often asks to go to the shop and when she tells him he can't, he cries. Understandable.

My sister and brothers are about in the same place as me.

My grandma is doing OK I think.

Owen knows I'm sad and hates it when I cry lol. He came in the other night when I was crying. He got into my bed and rubbed my back. I asked him what he was doing and he said "I'm rubbing you cause you're sad about pawpaw dying..." Sweetest boy ever.

So we will get through this. All of us. But its going to suck. Bad.

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{Christmas with my mom}

Hello all! I figured before I totally forget and its the middle of July I should post about the other Christmas fun we had :). On the 26th my mom had Christmas at her house. My 1 brother and my grandma were the only ones that made it. My sister got sick along with my nephew and my other brother was in Chicago. It was a pretty good time. We had spaghetti and then my brother set up the ps4 my mom bought her husband. She got the kids some new clothes :). Something they all needed pretty bad. And she got Owen a ninja turtle winter hat and gloves which were definitely the right thing to buy lol. She gave her kids money ;). It was nice to sit and talk with her for a while. I don't usually get to. She doesn't live that from me but I hate the town she lives in. I avoid it most of the time. Anyway, here are some pictures of the fun that was had that day :).

We did a white elephant (or Chinese auction) gift exchange. I needed up with a picture frame my brother and his girlfriend brought lol. I brought some hanging strawberry planter that is a lot like those tomato ones. Dawn got it from my grandma like 2yrs ago and its been sitting in her closet ever since. Then it sat on my table for a month. So away it went. Last year I brought mismatched socks lol. My grandpa ended up with them and he used them at the shop for rags lol.

It was a good time. Until I started feeling funky when we were about to leave. Blah. Owen and I are both sick now. I don't know what happened.

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{Merry Christmas!!}

I hope that everyone had an amazing day!

Our day was pretty chill around here. Nothing too exciting happened but it was still decently eventful.

During the day on Christmas Eve Gaige and I went to run a few errands. I picked up  a few gifts for D because I hadn't shopped for him at all yet. And we picked up Costco memberships for my grandma and D's.  Then it was back home to wrap them and get ready for our Christmas Eve at D's grandma's house.

We left there around 4-5pm I think and stopped at McDonalds to grab a quick dinner. I have no idea why she didn't have food. She almost always feeds us lol. But D's uncles kids were there before us and if there was any food made, it probably got eaten. They come with an army lol. Then we went home to eat and open our Christmas Eve boxes.

I'm aware that pictures of Dawn are missing. True my word, she did not get her Christmas Eve box. Drastic? Maybe. Worth it? Possibly. She now knows we weren't kidding about her behavior being ridiculous and her not getting to keep anything she got.

After that we popped popcorn and watched the boys' movies. Owen got The Flight Before Christmas and Gaige got Ernest Saves Christmas. We watched both. I liked them both. I've seen Ernest movies a million times! Hilarious!

Then it was bedtime. Which means it took them 3 more hours to actually fall asleep. I did not wait until they were totally asleep before I put the stuff out. I had no desire to stay up until 3am last night.

And Santa ate the cookies (the apples was for the reindeer lol)

I did not drink the milk *gag*.

And then the next morning came far too quickly.

Gaige came into my room around 7:30 and told me it was Christmas. I said "uh huh" and turned over lol. Which is funny because that's what my dad would say when we were kids. About 5 minutes later I woke up D and we joined our heathens in the living room.

They opened stockings first.

And then Gaige handed out the gifts.

We ended the morning with breakfast and then around noon it was off to my grandmas for Christmas with her.

I didn't take pictures there. It was a pretty...different Christmas day at her house. Everyone was kind of sad. But it was a good time for the most part.

So yeah, that was our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We went to my moms the day after Christmas but I'll make another post about that. And we also have Christmas with my dad on January 3rd too. So more Christmas pictures to come!

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{Merry Christmas Eve!}

I can't believe it's already Christmas Eve. Where has this year gone? I have to say though I'm so ready for this year to be gone. It's been nothing but drama and heart ache for me and my family and I'm completely over it (the year not the heart ache). 2015 has got to be better! I am willing it to be better! lol

We are done Christmas shopping. Except for D's grandma and mine. We don't know what to get my grandma honestly. The one thing I'm sure she would like, is something I can't give her (I know because I want it to). We're probably going to stick with our original idea of a Costco membership. Which is fine. She'll use it. She likes to buy things in bulk to save time (and sometimes money). Then she won't have to go with me, she can go on her own if she chooses to.

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{I need a bigger house or Less junk!}

I would honestly take either option at this point. I am so tired of stepping over things and stubbing my toe on things in the middle of the night. I try to clean but when you don't have a whole lot of places to put things you're kind of limited.

When the people you live with use every crack and crevice of your home as a storage space, it's even harder to keep things organized. So I'm on a mission to get rid of things. I've been slowly selling off American Girl things but it seems to have slowed quite a bit. I have a little left to sell though. I'm going through my closet to rid myself of things I don't need as well. I'm hoping someone picks them up.

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{3 Days to Christmas!!}

Well 3 days til the day before Christmas Eve.

At this point I have been hurrying to get my house presentable enough to take pictures Christmas morning. Which means I clean and clean some more every single day. Yet, my house still looks like a bomb exploded. Why is that?

We are done Christmas shopping other than for grandparents. I'm so glad. I hate last minute shopping. D said last night that we could go this weekend and spend a little more on them if I want, but to be honest, they are all getting what they wanted. I might go beef up Gaiges under the tree stuff. He just wanted money though so that kind of makes it even harder than usual to shop for him. But he's getting that rifle so I don't think he'll pay much attention to anything but that lol.

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{Another Christmas Tag!}

1. Favorite Christmas Movie? I answered this in another tag.

2. Are you on the Naughty list or the Nice list? I would hope that I'm on the nice list. But chances are I'm not ;)

3. Show us an embarrassing Christmas photo. How's this for embarrassing? That's me and my little sister at my parents house.

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{Christmas Tag!!}

Since nothing exciting is happening today, I went in search of a tag. I love these! So here we go!

1. Do you like to stay in your PJ’s, or dress up for Christmas? Well, that depends on the plans for the day. When I was growing up we would go to my grandparents farm and that required clothes. But last year I went to my moms grandparents and they don't care what I wear lol. So PJ pants and a T-shirt it was!

2. If you could only buy one person a present this year, who would it be? That is impossible. I have 3 kids and I'm an aunt. No could I just buy for 1 person.

3. Do you open your presents Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? We do 'Christmas Eve Boxes' with PJs and a movie in them. But actual gifts are opened in the morning.

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